Justin Herbert is starting from the ground up in Mike McDanielโs new-look Chargers offense.
The 28-year-old quarterback has dedicated much of the offseason to tweaking his footwork โ putting his left foot in front of his right from the shotgun, against traditional NFL form โ to fit Los Angelesโ new offensive coordinatorโs scheme.
McDaniel prioritizes getting the ball to playmakers in space as efficiently as possible, as he did for four seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach with speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbertโs flip in footing accelerating and syncing the timing of passes with receiversโ route breaks.
โIf guys train it so that they donโt have to think about it and they can be comfortable, you can do a couple things that put the defense in a bind with how you do your footwork,โ McDaniel said at Chargers minicamp in El Segundo. โI donโt mandate it. With Justin, I really just showed him where I thought it would be advantageous, and he didnโt blink for a second and was excited to attack it.โ
โThe patternization in Mike McDanielโs system has required some footwork changes,โ added head coach Jim Harbaugh. โ[Herbertโs] been working very hard, very hard at those. And as you would expect, Justin has picked it up.โ
McDaniel said he got the idea as an up-and-comer on staffs in Houston and Washington alongside current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa as recent quarterbacks with whom he has implemented the stance change and reaped positive results.
Herbert, who has been one of those traditional right-handed quarterbacks to have their right foot forward from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinatorโs methodology.
โItโs about playing the way that [McDaniel] sees the quarterback position being played,โ Herbert said, โand talking about how we can get the ball to the receivers in a position where they can run with it and allow them to do the things that theyโre so good at: making plays.โ
To accelerate his adaptation, Herbert has thrown less in practice sessions and done plenty of drills without a football โ two markers that are simply unlike the seven-season veteran, who is known to sling the rock plenty at practice and in games.
McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, besides helping Herbert adjust his feet, keeping the ball out of their quarterbackโs hands during the offseason will help him stay fresh later in the regular season.
Herbert is on board, but made it clear he does not require any maintenance.
โIโve thrown a lot of footballs, and itโs May and June and I didnโt think it was as necessary to throw as much now,โ Herbert said. โAnd do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down. The throws, theyโll be there. Weโve got plenty of time in camp and throughout [organized team activities] to get timing. I think itโs been smart by everyone, taking it easy.โ
Herbert added that itโs better to focus on where his feet are now rather than in a live, meaningful game. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing in practice with training camp looming.
The Chargers expect big things out of McDanielโs offense after they averaged a subpar 21.6 points per game in 2025.
Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for career years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Treโ Harris โ exactly what the wideouts want to hear.
โAs you all know โฆ the timing, thatโs a different aspect for us than weโre used to, but I think itโs great,โ McConkey said. โIt just gets the ball in the playmakersโ hands and lets us go to work.โ
Before any dreams of the Chargers winning a Super Bowl on their home SoFi Stadium turf can come true next season, Herbert must simply get his footing, with his feet and new playbook.
โIโm sure you guys are eager to see him execute in a high regard in the stuff that weโre doing,โ McDaniel said. โYou got to be patient โฆ thatโs been part of the very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we take into the offseason.โ
